Rise of a Legend
by MexiGirl56
Summary: In his POV, Doc tells his amazing life story to a young journalist which ends up into radio stations all over the US. From his very beginning, Doc describes the stress, pain, and darkness he endured from being born in a time of war and the hardships he faced to race. Includes OCs, DocXOC, language, and dark scenes (Doc's crash...duh). Rated T.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

**Before any of you ask, I know that LFLD is taking forever to continue. Trying to alter the plot was harder than I thought...so yeah. This is an alternative for you guys to (hopefully) cease some of that impatience. This story is inspired by MissCarrera's _Doc Hudson: An Autobiography. _**

**Also, I couldn't think of a better story name so I'm sorry for any issues anyone has with it.**

**NOTE: This is MY version of Doc's past, therefore the story line is different from MissCarrera's. I don't copy or steal :)  
**

**I don't own Cars or any of the characters in the original movie. Thanks!**

_Kori Turbowitz hurried from the Wheel Well and past the waterfall. "Oh dear, I'm late!" She said to herself, "Come on Kori, you're never late!"_

_Her cameraman, a silver Toyota Prius, was right on her tail, "We're only a couple of minutes late. We'll be okay."_

_"But I'm never late!" Kori wailed. She sped through the country road and into the small town. She struggled to navigate through the busy street until she made it in front of a clinic. She took a deep breath but just as she drove forward, her bumper bumped into that of a cobalt blue Hornet as he pushed through the double doors. Kori let out a startled, "Oh!" And rolled back , "Mr. Hudson! I'm so sorry!"_

_The Hornet chuckled, "Nah, it's all good. No harm done. I was just about to look for ya."_

_"I know I'm late. Sorry-"_

_"No, no, no need to apologize. At least ya made it. Come on in, then." Hudson invited Kori in with a gesture. She rolled in and was welcomed with the fresh smell of a clean...well...clinic. The floors were perfectly cleaned and polished to where they were basically mirrors. She observed the glass cabinets filled with medical items and certain tools and parts hung up neatly on the walls. "Wow..." She said, "You definitely keep everything spick n' span in here huh?"_

_The Hornet chuckled, "I keep everything neat and organized, yes. I hope y'all don't mind the smell. Jus' finished polishing the floor." He straightened out some papers on his desk at the back of his clinic. Kori shook her hood, "No not at all!"_

_"Good, good." He came back around with three cans of oil, "Thirsty, anyone? Flo made them especially good for you two." Kori and her partner took them with gratitude. "How generous of you! Thank you Mr. Hudson."_

_"Please, call me Doc and your very welcome. Do make yourselves comfortable. This is going to be a long story."_

_Kori settled herself on her axles while her partner adjusted his camera. She pulled out her journal and pen. Once her partner settled and nodded at her, Kori turned to the Hornet, "Okay, we're ready"_

_Doc took a deep breath..._

**Chapter 1:**

He nervously checked the clock. He paced and shifted on his tires for hours. His mind swam of thoughts of all kinds. Could something go wrong?

He shook his hood, _no...nothing will go wrong__..right?_

Still, the big black Hornet paced in the waiting room anxiously. His deep brown eyes were red and stressed. The _tick toc _of the hospital clock was driving him mad. To the point where he was tempted to launch a random item at it.

Then a small nurse rolled in, "Mr. Hornet?" Her voice was light and soft. He whipped around to face her. The rather petite nurse swallowed at his size contrast.

"H-how is she?" His deep rich voice cracked, "Is she...okay?"

The little car smiled, "She's fine. Would you like to see your son?"

The black Hornet sighed in relief, ". ..I have a son...yes, take me to them."

"Right this way." The nurse reversed and drove into the hall. He anxiously followed. After a few minutes the nurse halted and gestured at the room at the right, "She's in there. Congratulations to you, Mr. Hornet."

"Thank you..." He said and rolled in. A cobalt blue Chevy Deluxe looked up from the bundle she was holding. Her crystal blue eyes glittered with joy at the sight of him, "James...come look."

He wasted no time and rolled up beside her. Peering down at the blue blanket, a tiny Hornet looked up at him. He too had blue eyes and the cobalt hue of his mother. James grinned, "Oh, he's gonna be a spunky one just like his mama."

In response, the baby blinked and yawned. Gently, James took his son and began to talk soothingly. His wife smiled and looked on, just as joyous, "Isn't he beautiful? Just look at that handsome face! Oh, your sister is gonna go crazy when she sees him!"

"Mary..." James said looking up at her, "We still didn't come up with a name..."

She paused, "...Oh dear, we haven't, haven't we? Um...there's Alexander, Xavier, Jackson..."

James chuckled, "Those aren't very common names..."

"Why would we want a common name?"

The black Hornet rolled back beside his wife with the baby, "Why don't we use something more... simple?"

Mary raised an eye frame, "Oh, like what?"

James stared at his son for a moment before smiling, "...Hudson."

"Hudson?"

"Mm hmm."

"Hudson Hornet, a little ironic don't you think?"

"But it's different." James chuckled when the little Hornet sneezed. Mary stared at him thoughtfully, "Hudson James Hornet. I like that, Hudson it is." She gently took Hudson from his father and held him close, "Hudson..."

...

_Kori smiled, "So...your real name is Hudson...James Hornet? And your mother was a Deluxe? Didn't see that coming..."_

_Doc chuckled, "Hard to believe, isn't it? Well, Papa was a black Hornet with dark brown eyes. And boy, he was a large car too. Even though this is my full size, he'd still be larger than me."_

_"Whoa, he must have been huge." Kori said, "How much do you think he weighed?"_

_Doc took a moment to think, "Well, I'm about an average thirty-five hundred pounds. He, however, was at least thirty-eight hundred maybe even four thousand."_

_Kori's partner snapped his hood back in disbelief, "That's impossible! How could a car weigh almost four thousand pounds? Did he have any arthritis problems?"_

_"Surprisingly, no, not that I knew of." Doc chuckled, "You should've seen his tire size. It was rather ridiculous."_

_"So your eyes, your size, and your birth color come from your mother but your car type is from your father?"_

_"Basically, yes. It's alright, you can call me a Mama's Boy."_

_Kori giggled the Prius laughed at that, "Don't worry," he said, "I'm a Mama's Boy too."_

_Kori gestured for Doc to go on, "So, what next?"_

_..._

I eagerly peered through the kitchen window. I was waiting for Papa to come home. He told me that he was going to take me somewhere, and of course my young ten-year-old mind was set on whatever it was. Mama watched in amusement while washing the dishes, "Hudson, why are you staring at the window?"

My little six-year-old sister Mary Anne clumsily rolled up and tried to look through the window. Her little body was a bit too small and she whined, "I can't see!"

"Mary Anne, get back here and finish your oil." Mama scolded. Mary Anne hurried back while I continued to stare across the dirt road. Our town was rather lonely, due to the war sending young men and fathers. I hoped that Papa wouldn't be called. Even at ten years of age, i can understand the dark times right now. After a few more minutes, I perked up at the sight of a big black car.

"Papa's home!" I cried excitedly, "Papa's home!"

Without thinking I burst through the front door and drove as fast as I could. Papa chuckled at the sight of me and dropped his suitcase. He sped forward and grabbed me with a single large tire. I laughed and looked up at him, "Can we go Papa?"

"Not yet, Hudson. I've got to tell your mother where we're going first."

Mama and Mary Anne rolled out to the front porch at that moment. I followed Papa to them. He gave Mama a kiss on her fender, "I promised Hudson that I'd take him to the racing circuit."

The racing circuit! I always heard about it from school, but never been. Some of the other boys claimed that their fathers raced. I exchanged a glance with Mary Anne.

Mama sighed, "Oh, James..."

"We'll be back before it gets dark." Papa said, "I promise."

Mama looked back at me and then at Papa, "Alright, go on. But I expect to see you both before the sun sets, am I clear?"

I nodded and Papa chuckled, "Yes ma'am."

Mary Anne protested, but hushed at Mama's sharp glance. After bidding a goodbye, I followed Papa out of our neighborhood. The sight of empty, lonely houses made me feel uncomfortable so I kept close to him.

"Papa, where exactly is the circuit?" I asked quietly.

"At the edge of Sioux Falls, son. We're almost there." He said. We passed the Mercurys. A family of Mercury Cruisers who live as officers. I know since I go to school with their sons, Samuel and Adam. Their father is a street cop in Sioux Falls.

Sioux Falls was small and spaced out in this time. It had the country atmosphere. As a small city, we didn't have the money to get paved roads, which resulted in our common dirt ones. Good thing I preferred dirt anyways.

After twenty minutes, we drove through Sioux Falls. It wasn't as busy as I thought but cars were still moving about. Women and children mostly. It doesn't surprise me.

While observing the city, Papa nudged me, "This way."

He pulled me to a backroad which eventually led to a small cliff. "Hudson, my boy, welcome to the circuit."

I slowly drove up next to him and gasped, "Whoa..."

A huge dirt track stood before me. A bunch of stock cars were racing on it and there were many others watching. I grinned widely at the sight. Papa chuckled, "Come on, let's go down."

As I got near, I could hear the powerful engines of the stock cars. They roared louder than anything I ever heard. "Papa, how are their engines so loud and strong?"

"Some get theirs modified and tuned up to race." Papa said, and I could just barely hear him mutter,"...And others are born with it..." I wondered why he said that so quietly. Once we got down, two cars recognized Papa (from work I assume) and instantly started a conversation with him. I recognized one as Mr. Mercury since he was a cop.

"This is my son, Hudson." Papa gently pulled me in front of him. I was never the social type, so I just smiled and nodded. A woman smiled back, "Hello there, honey. My, you look just like your father. Well, scratch the color."

"I'll say," Mr. Mercury said, "How old are ya, Hudson?" he asked me.

"I just turned ten."

The woman chuckled, "Oh, he's got a lotta growing left in him. My daughter is the same age, her name is Maeve."

"I know her," I said, "I go to school with her."

The woman pointed past me, "She's right over there with Samuel."

Maeve was a soft yellow Ford Crestline with big brown eyes. She was the prettiest girl in school...and I'm not just saying that. Maeve was closer to the track with Samuel, but then saw me and smiled brightly. "Hi Hudson!" She said as she drove over. Her voice was as soft as silk, as sweet as honey...

"Hi Maeve," I said, smiling back. How could I not smile at her?

"Wait a minute, I never see you at the track. What brings you here?" she asked.

"My papa promised me he'd bring me here. I heard so much about it in school, but I'm just a little too far to come here often."

Samuel approached, "Do you wanna go down and see them? Sometimes they even talk to us!" he said excitedly. The little black Mercury was about four or five years old, and was merely half Maeve and I's size. I couldn't help but smile, "Well...I dunno..."

Maeve laughed and grabbed my tire, "Oh, come on! It's fun to see them up close and like he said, sometimes they even talk to us!"

I tried to respond but she already pulled me away. I could hear the adults chuckling from behind. Maeve hauled me to the edge of the track, where the racers' engines road even louder, "Look over there, you see that orange Buick?"

I followed her tire to a big orange Buick in first place with thin black pinstripes on his sides and a big #15, who was skillfully clearing a turn. "Yeah, he's at the front."

"Yeah, that's the Western Bullet. His real name's Tucker West, but he's the best dirt racer in the country! They say he's never lost a dirt race in his life! My daddy works in his sponsor."

I watched him with admiring eyes, "So you know him?"

"I met him once, but I don't know him. I actually heard that he's retiring soon since he's getting arthritis in his ol' axles." she looked over at me, "...And he's gonna find a rookie to pass his skills on. Cool right?"

I nodded, "Yeah...I wish I lived closer, I'd be here everyday...'_to see you'" _I wanted to say.

We both turned our attention to the track when cars cheered and the announcer said, "...And he's roundin' turn four, drifting smoothly...and he's won! Once again, folks, our dirt champion is the Western Bullet! Number 56 taking second and 35 in third!"

Maeve squealed when the racers skidded to a stop, spraying dirt towards us. I grabbed Samuel and backed up. Dirt still got in my grille and I coughed a bunch of times. I guess I wasn't the only one, since others began coughing too. Maeve laughed, "Hey, you dyin' over there?"

I sneezed, "Yea- AHH-CHOO- I'm fine!" I think some dirt flew back out of my grille. I heard Samuel gasp and I opened my eyes to see a Buick staring back at me, a small smirk on his face, "Are ya sure, Kid? You were havin' a coughin' frenzy it seemed."

"Well you did spray dirt in my gille."

Tucker chuckled, "True, but that'll happen when yur close to the track." then he asked, "Say, outta all the kids I've seen, I haven't seen ya before. What's yur name?"

"Hudson. Hudson Hornet." I said, "...It's an honor to meet you Mr. West."

"Hudson, eh? _Sounds a lil' ironic..."_ he cleared his throat, "But anyways, no need for Mr, jus' call me Tucker. Tucker West."

_..._

_Kori's eyes were wide in astonishment, "Wow, so you met Tucker West? I've read about him in a bunch of books and old newspapers." Kori said, "You must have been excited to meet him, right?"_

_Doc chuckled, "You bet I was. And it gets better."_

_The Prius, oblivious to the other two, connected a speaker to his camera and called to the radio station, "Hey guys, you might want to hear this..."_

_Kori looked down in thought, then back up at Doc, "Wait...is he how you came up with your racing number? I noticed that you said his was #15...and yours is #51."_

_Doc nodded, "You're a smart one. Yes, that's how I came up with my number. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, this is chronological, remember?"_

_"Right, right, but what about Maeve? She sounded really pretty, I suppose she was your first crush, huh?" Kori said with amusement. Doc laughed, "That's rather obvious, is it not?"_

_Kori laughed back, "True, true. So...what next?"_

_The radio station listened eagerly:_

_..._

"Hi Tucker!" Maeve said, "I don't know if you remember me, but my father works in your sponsor. Chis Bowens?"

Tucker pulled up next to her and put a tire around her, "Of course, you must be lil' Miss Maeve Bowens, am I right? I should know, since yur daddy is a Crestline."

Maeve grinned, "That's me!"

"And I'm Samuel!" the Mercury said, rolling up, "My papa is a cop!"

Tucker smiled, "Oh yeah, Officer Mercury if I remember correctly! I've only talked to 'im a couple times, but I know you, cuz I see you around here all the time. How's it goin' little man?"

"I'm great! I'm gonna be a cop someday! Maybe even Deputy...or even a _Sheriff_!"

I laughed silently, but I really felt proud for Samuel. At least he's got big dreams for himself in the future. Tucker spoke as if he read my mind, "That's great, buddy! Those 'r some real dreams right there. You know what...could ya do somethin' for me, little man?"

"Totally!"

"I want ya to keep those dreams," Tucker said, "And conquer them."

Samuel frowned, "But dreams are fake...and wouldn't it be weird to do something that's fake?"

"No, no," Tucker shook his hood, "There's nothin' wrong with dreams, my boy. You wanna know how I became a racer? Dreams. When I was yur age, I dreamed every night of becoming the best dirt racer the world has ever seen," he gestured at himself, "And look what happened."

"Your dreams came true..." Maeve said, "You kept them...followed them...and conquered them..."

Tucker nodded, "Yes, I did." he turned back to Samuel, "So whatever ya do Samuel, never, and I mean _never, _give up on your dreams." Tucker side glanced over at me, "Keep your dreams...follow your dreams...and conquer your dreams."_  
_

I stared back, admiring the pure wisdom in his eyes. Tucker looked back at Samuel and rubbed a tire on his hood, "Can ya do that for me?"

The young Police Cruiser looked up in admiration, "Yeah...I can do that."

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Those of you that read LFLD probably have a good clue who Samuel really is :)**

**THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW! ITMAKESMEHAPPYANDINSPIRESMETOKEEPWRITING! :D**


	2. Chapter 2: The Discovery

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm glad that this is going off to a great start! I meant to update earlier, but number 1: I'm lazy as F 2: I'm trying to make sure that one big event doesn't happen too early so I have to make fillers and 3: In attempt to break my habit of biting my nails, I'm wearing fake acrylic nails and the fact that I'm not used to long nails make it harder to type…so yeah :P**

**Also…and funny as this may sound, Hudson's father's voice is about as deep as Mufasa's from the Lion King. I just think a deep voice would suit Doc's father.**

_**This font means dialogue being heard through a radio!**_

Chapter 2: The Discovery

I've begged Papa to take me to the track ever since. Not only to get closer to Maeve, but Tucker too. He was my new inspiration ever since last week. After that, I got new dreams to follow and conquer, just like Samuel.

Racing.

I was fascinated with it. I had no idea why I wasn't before. Maybe it was because I hadn't seen it before, just heard of it. Doesn't matter anyways, I was still hooked in it. I began snatching Papa's newspapers before he threw them away and read the racing section. Sure enough, I had all the information I needed about Tucker's victorious wins. Papa said he would take me to the circuit as often as possible, but only three things stood in the way.

School, Papa's job, and Mama. Either she's scared of me getting in trouble, getting hurt or getting into racing. She wasn't thrilled when Papa said he'd take me there more often. I think it turned out as a fight that night. School, of course, comes first. But it's so…lonely there, ever since the war at least. Some of our teachers disappeared even, and for some reason it didn't surprise me. Nothing surprises me these days. Papa's works almost 27/7 in Sioux Falls.

I woke up this morning by Mary Anne bursting through my bedroom door, "Come on, Hudson! We're gonna be late for school! Get up, get up!"

"Mary….justa…few…more mins…."

My sister climbed in my bed next to me and shook me with her front tires, "No, Mama will be mad at you. Come out and eat breakfast, she said! If you don't then I'll push you off!"

I lifted a tire and punched her out of my bed.

_…._

_"So you have a sister?" Kori said._

_Doc looked down, "I had a sister."_

_"What….what happened to her?" she asked._

_"We haven't gotten there yet. Chronological, remember?"_

_"Right, right, I'm sorry," Kori said. "Please continue…"_

_The radio station manager turned to his workers, "Release it to the public channels while I contact the other stations. I'm sure the States wanna hear this…"_

_…._

I eagerly searched for Maeve when Mama finally pulled me out of bed. I had to drop Mary Anne off at her school first, which was a couple blocks past mine. I didn't see Maeve much to my disappointment, but I ran into Samuel. He was about the same age as Mary Anne, so I had a feeling I'd see him. He smiled at me and mouthed a "See you later." I guess he thought I was going to the circuit.

"Mr. Hauns is gone." Mary Anne said, "He's been gone since last week. I think the war took him, too…"

I didn't reply to her. I hate the thought of the war and I hate talking about it. Apparently she didn't get the message, "Hudson, why does the war take boys, but not girls? I hear they don't even come back."

"…It's complicated Mary. The war needs big strong cars like…." I screwed myself there.

"Like Papa?"

"_NO_!" I halted and something inside snapped. I whipped around to face her, "Papa will NOT go to war! He CAN'T!" my voice cracked in fear. I couldn't even imagine losing Papa to the Chrysler-forsaken war.

The little black Deluxe shrunk and her brown eyes watered. I never yelled at her like that, and I instantly felt bad. My eyes watered too, but I took a shaky breath and gently pulled her to my side, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to yell at you."

She pressed herself closer to my side, "…It's okay. I didn't know that it would hurt you."

"You know that this is a difficult time, Mary, especially with the war going on. Could you imagine if Papa was sent to war? Could you imagine him get blown up by a bomb, or shot down by enemies?"

"No…." Mary Anne shivered, "It'd give me nightmares."

"Me too, so let's not think or talk about it, okay?"

"Okay."

"Hudson!"

A familiar voice called my name. I looked up to see a pretty Ford Crestline roll over to us just as we reached Mary Anne's school. The sight of her instantly lightened me up, "Maeve!"

"Maeve?" Mary Anne said confusingly.

"Hello, Hudson! What are you doing here?" Maeve asked. I gestured at my sister, "I'm dropping my sister off. Have you met her? This is Mary Anne. Mary Anne, this is my friend Maeve."

"Correction, 'girlfriend'!" someone said. Another Crestline drove up beside Maeve with a cocky smirk. He looked like Maeve except older, bigger, and he was light brown instead of yellow. Maeve scowled and I didn't really have a reaction.

"No, Matthew! He's just a friend!" Maeve sighed and turned back to me, "This is my big brother, Matthew. Matthew this is my FRIEND, Hudson."

"Dude…that sounds really ironic." Matthew said while examining me. I just shrugged, "What can I say? My Papa wanted a simple name."

"Ya don't say?" Matthew said to Maeve, "I'm coming with you and Mother to the track since Papa decided to kick me outta the house. I've gotta go before my math teacher kicks me out again, see ya Hudson!" he said before zipping away.

"Great…"Maeve muttered, "He's just going to cause trouble, I know it."

Mary Anne nudged me, "Hudson…I have to go."

"Okay," I said, putting a tire around her and hugging her, "Go on and have a great day, okay? I'll be back to pick you up."

"It was nice meeting you, Mary Anne. Have a nice day." Maeve said.

"I will." She said. She gave me one last nudge on my fender, "I love you."

"…I love you, too."

I watched my sister hurry into the school, where a teacher took her in. Maeve rolled up next to me, "I wish I was as close to my brother as you are your sister. I don't even know if we ever exchanged those words." Her eyes lightened in amusement, "Don't get me wrong, he's my brother, so of course I love him. But he's just such a moron."

I laughed at that. It felt weird to laugh for the first time in forever.

Maeve and I drove together to our school. We didn't really talk, but it was a comfortable silence. Once we were inside the hallway, she halted me, "Hey…could you possibly…drive me home this afternoon?" she asked. Her light brown eyes glinted. I couldn't believe one of the prettiest girls in the school had asked me that. Out of all the other boys, she asked me!

"Yes!" I said immediately, "Of course! Meet me by the school entrance?"

Maeve giggled, "Sure. Thank you, Hudson. See you after school!" she smiled softly at me before rolling into her classroom, ironically across from mine. The thought of spending time with her made me smile as I rolled into my classroom,

School was boring for the most part, especially since I was constantly checking the clock. All I really wanted was to drive Maeve home and then go to the circuit with Papa. My teacher became a stressed woman, since her husband had been called to war. I think she knew it was going to happen, since she was so anxious before. Now, like most of the other teachers, she looked depressed and skinny. Her sides were sunk in from weight loss. After a while of listening to her ramble about geometry, I glanced at the door window to Maeve's classroom. I saw her in the back of the room writing down notes. I was hoping she'd look back at me, but she never did.

_…_

_"So…what type of atmosphere did you feel your school had?" Kori asked._

_"It was…depressing." Doc said, "It was thick of stress and depression…and sadness. The war took a huge toll on us at that time, my dear. It wasn't pleasant. It was scary for us, being kids."_

_Kori tilted her hood, "Considering how happy you were about Maeve asking you to drive her home, were you determined to build a relationship with her?"_

_Rock Island, Illinois:_

_A group of teenage cars listened to the radio:_

**_"At the time, yes. I already said she was one of the nicest looking girls in the school, so why wouldn't I?" Doc chuckled, "She was a Crestline for Chrysler's sake!"_**

_"Dude…" one of them, a blue mustang said, "The Hudson Hornet had it going with a Crestline!"_

_Another, a Camry, laughed, "This guy's richer than I thought!"_

_"Shush!" the others said as Doc continued his story._

_…_

It was late afternoon and I was taking a test, so the classroom was quiet. I was about halfway done when I heard someone roll down the hallway and approach our open door. A small voice called my name, "Hudson?"

Me, as well as my classmates reversed to see who it was. Mary Anne was there with a worried look and surprisingly enough, my father and my principle were there too, "Hudson, could you come here please?"

When I hesitated, my teacher took my test and gestured for me to go so I set my books on the floor and rolled out of the classroom. I looked at Mary Anne and then at the big brown Thunderbird and the big black Hornet, "…Is there something wrong…?"

"No, but you and your sister are to be dismissed from school for today." He said, "You two may go now."

I instantly thought of Maeve, "D…dismissed? Why?"

"That's for your father to tell you."

"Come on, Hudson. We don't want to be late." Papa said. I nodded, unsure of what we'd be late for and took my sister's tire. I looked over briefly to see Maeve looking at me through the window. I could tell that she was confused. I shook my hood and mouthed, "I'm sorry."

I'm pretty sure that she understood because her face saddened and she nodded. I felt guilty at that moment as I drove out of the small building. I wondered why Papa came to get us…

Mary Anne asked for me, "Papa, why did you pick us up?"

"You two have an appointment with ol' Doc." Papa said simply. Doc was our doctor in Sioux Falls, an old Cadillac Coupe. We don't know his real name, but everyone calls him Doc. The last time I saw him, Mary Anne had a virus that clogged her engine block when she was four. She'd seen him just last year for a checkup on it.

"Why are we going to Doc?" I asked, "We're not sick or anything…"

I thought I heard Papa sigh, "…It's good to have a checkup every once in a while."

"…Will we be able to go to the circuit?" I asked. Papa slowed so that he was between me and Mary Anne, "…Maybe….we'll see."

We reached Sioux Falls in about ten minutes and approached Doc on the front porch of his homey clinic. The old maroon Cadillac saw us and smiled, "Well looky! If it ain't the Mary an' James juniors!"

"Hi Doc!" Mary Anne smiled cheerfully as Doc went over and wrapped a tire around her, "Hey there, sweetheart, how are ya's?"

My sister giggled, "I'm good."

Doc then turned to me and chuckled, "Lookit you! I hasn't seen ya's in years!" I smiled when he came over and bumped me with a tire, "What's good, Hudson?"

"Well I just recently introduced 'im to the 'racing world'." Papa said with a chuckle. Doc looked at me approvingly, "Is that so? You's been takin' 'im to the circuit, eh? Why, that reminds meh, good ol' Tucker West came in jus' the otha day."

I perked up at that, "Really?"

"Yah, the feller jus' wanted his axles checked on. Shoot, his arthritis is comin' fast. He's gonna have ta' retire soon or he'll be one crippled son of a bi-gun." he corrected himself at the right time and tried to play it off with a crooked grin. Papa rolled his eyes, "Come on then, let's get this done."

Doc nodded and led us inside. "Alrighty then, who wants to go first, eh?"

Mary Anne pointed at me, "Hudson does!"

"Thanks…" I looked over at her, who just grinned at me. Papa chuckled from behind us. Doc laughed, "Get over here, boy. In this here room." He gestured to a room in the back. I really didn't want to, but I followed him anyways into the room where he placed me on a lift.

He moved to some drawers and pulled out a couple tools, "Go ahead an' pop that hood for meh."

It was the first real time I had someone poke and prod around in my engine. I gulped and popped it open, "…What are you gonna do…?"

I could tell that he sensed my fear, "I'm jus' gonna look at it, Hudson. It might feel weird but it ain't gonna hurt, okay?" I nodded hesitatingly as he came over and put thin bars on both sides of my hood and latched them on my fenders to keep it open. I looked through the small opening under my hood and watched Doc look around with a flashlight. A look of confusion came over him, "_What the…_"

He then took out a wrench and began twisting bolts on my carburetors and radiator. It did feel weird but like he said, it didn't hurt. "No loose bolts…"

The next twenty minutes, I had no idea what he was doing but he had been looking deeper and deeper into my insides, altering them around which made me a bit uncomfortable. He kept muttering things like, "_That's odd…_" and, "_Well, lookit that…_" and most surprisingly, "_…Fascinating…_"

I finally decided to say something, "Doc…is there something wrong with me…?"

He withdrew from under my hood, "No, no…quite the opposite, m'boy…" I just barely heard him murmur, "_I ain't never seen a child with an engine setup like this…"_

My engine setup? What's wrong with my engine? I wanted to ask him what he meant but I felt that I'd find out more if I stayed quiet. "Hold on a second…" he went back to a counter and came back with a camera. He took a few snapshots of my insides and then took the bars out and shut my hood, "Alright, go on now."

Still unsure, I rolled off of the lift and back into the main room where Papa and Mary Anne were waiting. Papa looked at me and then at Doc, "…Well?"

Doc cleared his throat, "Uh…well…I'll tell ya afterwards. Right now I'd like to see yur daughter's engine."

Papa's lip twitched but he gestured at my sister to go. She looked reluctant but, always being the brave type, she followed Doc to the room I was in moments ago. After a couple minutes, Papa nudged me, "Did he say anything to you?"

I looked up at him and shook my hood, "Not directly to me, but he was muttering something about my 'engine setup'."

His eye frames furrowed in confusion and he gazed at the other room's entrance, "Engine setup…?"

"…What exactly is an engine setup?" I asked, though I had an idea what it was.

"It's the conformation of one's engine, son, how everything is put together."

"_Oh_." I said. We sat there in silence for a little while until Doc and Mary Anne came back out. Mary Anne's expression was rather blank but Doc's was thoughtful. He put a tire behind my sister and pushed gently in a gesture to go forward, "Go ahead an' join yur brother for a minute. I wanna talk to yur daddy, alright?"

Mary Anne nodded and pulled up beside me while Papa and Doc closed the door behind them. I waited a minute and then quietly rushed forward to the door. Mary Anne called out, "Hudson!"

"_Hush_!" I said while pressing my side to the door. My sister slowly rolled closer and whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Be quiet, I'm listening." I said while focusing on the voices on the other side. Mary Anne's eye frames furrowed, "I…don't think you should be doing that."

"Just be quiet!" I said in a harsh whisper. She didn't say anything else but she hesitantly came closer to listen with me. I was fine with it as long as she stayed quiet.

"…So what is it with Hudson's engine that you're so enthusiastic about?" Papa said. There was a sound of shuffling around and then Doc spoke, "These are the documents I wrote down about yur son last time he had a checkup. He was eight years old when I wrote this."

"And so…?"

"Two years ago, he was pretty average on everythin' when it came to general health an' his engine development. But two years later…I look under this boy's engine an' I see this…"

There was a moment of silence before Papa spoke, "…Wait…that's his engine?"

"Yeah! See how large it is in the boy's body? In only two years, that V8 engine is as developed as a teenage racecar, an' that ain't all. I say racecar cause of 'is parts! You see 'is radiator? Almost fully developed for high-speed cooling, an' his carburetors, already perfect for takin' in large amounts of air an' givin' 'im exceptional amounts of endurance. Lose suspension gives 'im a great steerin' ability an' he's got loads of torque-"

"Okay, okay!" Papa interrupted, "So Hudson's development rate has increased…a bit..…what's that supposed to mean? He's going to have an old engine by the time he turns twenty?"

"No," Doc said simply, "Yur son's developing parts fit to race."

That last statement made my breath catch in my pipes. My parts? Fit to race? I looked at Mary Anne who was just as surprised as I am. How my six-year-old sister managed to figure that out is beyond me, but I continued listening to verify my thoughts.

"…Are you saying…my son is born a racecar?"

"Yes James…Hudson's rarity indeed. A natural born racer is a gifted racer, it don't happen often." Doc chuckled, "Looks like yur son's got a career ahead of 'im already."

Papa remained silent.

_…_

_Los Angeles (countryside), California_

_Strip Weathers listened intently on the radio on the living room table. He had been strolling through the channels when he heard the familiar voice of Doc Hudson through the radio. He easily got hooked to it when he heard Doc talk about his racing fantasies earlier._

**_"So…were natural racecars rare back then?" Kori asked._**

**_"Very," Doc replied, "It was estimated that less than ten percent of racecars at that time were born with a highly developing engine like mine. They've become more common nowadays because of the evolution of sports cars, like Mustangs. We also have more diversity of cars than the 50s did."_**

**_"How interesting…so you were basically the only one lucky enough to be born to race?"_**

**_The Hornet laughed, "Well I wasn't the only one. Here's your fun fact for the day: I discovered that Strip Weathers and I both were natural-born racers."_**

**_"Whoa, really?" Kori said in awe._**

_The Plymouth Superbird chuckled and took a sip of his warm oil, "Guess we we're the lucky ones, eh Hudson?"_

_"Who are you talkin' to in there?" Lynda asked, parking beside her husband and cuddling up to him in front of their fire pit. Strip smiled and nodded at the radio on the table, "Hudson's decided to share his story…"_

_Lynda glanced at the radio, "Oh?"_

**_The young reporter asked through the speakers, "What about Mary Anne?"_**

**_"Right, I was getting to that…"_**

**_….._**

It remained silent for a while before Papa finally asked, "…What about my daughter?"

"Eh…not sure 'bout her since she's so young, but try to bring 'er in at least every year so I can see 'er development. But as a female, I'm pretty sure she's a negative."

Papa sighed, "I knew there was something wrong when Hudson's engine began revving so loudly…"

"Well there ain't anythin' 'wrong' with 'im," Doc chuckled, "He's jus' growin' a lil more in the inside than he should."

"Would that cause any health problems in the future?"

"Nah, not that I know of anyway."

"Well then…I guess we're done here…" the wood floors on the other side creaked, giving me a sign that they're coming. Mary Anne and I dashed back across the room where we were. I asked Papa wht was wrong to prevent suspicion and he just said everything's fine. He nodded to Doc and we left.

I went home that day wondering what lies ahead of me in the future. Me? A natural born racer? Of all the other kids…me? I wonder if Papa will tell this to Mama. I wonder how she'd react. I wonder if this will bring me closer to Maeve. I wonder if I actually will end up racing one day. I wonder if I'd be good at it

…I wonder if Tucker will end up choosing me as his rookie.

**End of Chapter**

**Corny I know :)**

**PLEASE REVIEW! ITMAKESMEHAPYANDINSPIRESMETOKEEPWRITING! :D**


End file.
